A story of a man who really was too good for this world

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
-- JOHN 15:13, King James Version

What's the greatest possible form of heroism?

Risking one's life to save others would be pretty high on the list. Many of us would risk our lives to save our own children or other family members, some would add close friends to that list.

It's pretty noble.

But risking is one thing, sacrificing another thing entirely. Jumping into raging waters to save a drowning child is heroic, more so if you can't swim very well. More so if you don't know the child.

What if you can't swim at all, though? What if you jump into the water to save someone knowing you'll probably never make it out?

A true hero

Najih Shakir Al-Baldawi didn't go anywhere near water last Thursday night, but he saved numerous lives while sacrificing his own at the Sayyid Mohammed shrine in the Iraqi town of Balad. A suicide bomber with Daesh was trying to get inside the shrine so he could set off his bombs. Shakir apparently saw him, ran over and grabbed him, hugging him tightly against his own body and absorbing much of the impact when the bombs went off.

Two people died -- the bomber and Shakir.

Many others lived.

A fellow Muslim posted on Twitter that "an honourable man from Balad, Najih Shakir, holds the suicide bomber & attains martyrdom, preventing many more deaths."

It's wonderful to see the word "martyrdom" used properly, instead of describing a criminal who kills other people in the name of a demented God. We've had the same problem here with so-called Christians saying God told them to kill doctors who performed abortions.

I don't think Dennis Miller is particularly funny anymore, but I remember that back in the day, he said anyone hearing God telling them to kill someone is getting a garbled message.

The thing I like about this is that if you figure not all Muslims are terrorists, and that plenty of people are good and want to raise their children to be both happy and good, Shakir is a terrific role model. Not just because he made a sacrifice and saved people, but because he also stood up to the misguided zealots who have turned the world into a charnel house in the name of their conception of God.

We need a lot fewer jihadists and a lot more Najih Shakirs.